Dear Apinda,

I am not fine.

 

There is a poison in my veins that won’t give me time to think of an antidote.

Yesterday my eyes lost all colour and my tongue no longer experiences taste. The only thing that works for me now is chicken; and only if it has chilli. In fact it’s good I mentioned that. Now I must remember to get some, tonight – Apinda,

 even my hair has begun to fall out. I know this because even when I’m not pulling it out,

 I still find some on the pillow.

 

Apinda, are you there?

Can we chat instead?

Can we chat so I can explain how my lips are beginning to crack?

 

My mouth now can’t even hold in any heavy words, imagine that? I have never seen anything like this.

Apinda I am scared…

 

I am going to the gym, but the muscles don’t form.

Instead my skin hangs – and there is so much of it like you wouldn’t believe!

 

I don’t know what kind of poison this is… Have you ever heard of it?

 

I have begun looking out the foods to eat that would rejuvenate my body, but they only go down for a few minutes

 and then I start choking again.

I actually cough small bits of life out of me… Did you know that black people could turn blue?

I had to laugh!… I should send you a picture.

Apinda, it’s been only three days

and now my stomach doesn’t stop running.

The doctor says I am well and that all my organs are intact. But I can feel it.

My bones crack when I walk!!

Sometimes it’s like they form a powder that stains my clothes… That was a joke – ha! ha! ha!

But what do you think I should do?

Apinda, it’s moving faster.

Yesterday I had to stop after walking from the kitchen to my bedroom

-to catch my breath!

What if this poison gets to my heart Apinda? 

It’s so much harder to breathe.

Come and sit with me,

 tell me stories because tomorrow I don’t think I will be able to get out of bed.

Do you think I will die?

 

I don’t want to die Apinda.

 

Laura Walubengo is a talented writer and Capital newspresenter, soon to have her own book of poems published. A long-standing member of the Capital team, look out for her blogs on the Capital News site.